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To keep more carbon on the ground, halting farmland expansion is key![]() Washington DC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018 The conversion of forests to farmland is recognized as a major contributor to rising levels of greenhouse gases. And yet it hasn't been clear how to best minimize the loss of sequestered carbon into the atmosphere. Is it better to maximize farm yields so as to use less land area over all? Or should farms be operated so as to retain more carbon on site, even at the expense of crop yields? Researchers reporting in Current Biology on July 26 say that, based on their extensive studies of agricultural ... read more |
Record drought grips Germany's breadbasketNiederndodeleben, Germany (AFP) July 29, 2018 Withered sunflowers, scorched wheat fields, stunted cornstalks - the farmlands of northern Germany have borne the brunt of this year's extreme heat and record-low rainfall, triggering an epochal drought. ... more
Wildfires, drought hit Sweden's Sami reindeer herdersStockholm (AFP) July 27, 2018 Sweden's unprecedented drought and devastating wildfires are destroying vital grazing pastureland for indigenous Sami reindeer herders, whose livelihoods are already under attack from mining and logging as global warming changes the face of the Arctic. ... more
Murkowksi: Tariffs hurt more than just agricultureWashington DC (UPI) Jul 27, 2018 President Donald Trump has been called on by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to take a broad view on trade policies to recognize that impacts extend beyond farming into the energy sector following his announcement of aid for U.S. farmers this week. ... more
EU court extends GMO rules to new techniquesLuxembourg (AFP) July 25, 2018 Plants and animals created by new techniques of genetic modification should be treated as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and follow European rules aimed at preventing damage to the environment and health, the EU's top court said on Wednesday. ... more |
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs to 18 Three Vietnam men survive 40 hours at sea after typhoon Typhoon Fung-wong floods Philippine towns, leaves 5 dead in its wake Typhoon Fung-wong leaves flooded Philippine towns in its wake Typhoon exposes centuries-old shipwreck off Vietnam port Weakening Typhoon Fung-wong exits Philippines after displacing 1.4 million Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media |
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| Previous Issues | Jul 30 | Jul 28 | Jul 27 | Jul 26 | Jul 25 |
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We can feed the world if we change our waysLancaster UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Current crop yields could provide nutritious food for the projected 2050 global population, but only if we make radical changes to our dietary choices, a new study shows. Researchers from Lanc ... more
Japan lifts ban on Canadian wheat importsTokyo (AFP) July 20, 2018 Japan on Friday lifted a ban on Canadian wheat imports more than a month after it halted shipments following the discovery of unauthorised genetically modified (GM) plants there. ... more
China's 'livestock revolution' demands 'new transition'London, UK (SPX) Jul 23, 2018 Demand for animal protein and increasing wealth fuelled a tripling in the domestic production of livestock in China between 1980 and 2010, and the rise, despite some improvements in efficiencies at ... more
Dying groundskeeper to testify in Roundup cancer trialSan Francisco (AFP) July 23, 2018 A California groundskeeper dying of cancer is slated to testify Monday before jurors hearing evidence in his lawsuit blaming Monsanto weed killer Roundup for his terminal illness. ... more
HRW urges Brazilian lawmakers to reject new pesticide lawSao Paulo (AFP) July 20, 2018 Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Brazilian lawmakers to reject a proposed law to relax regulations on the use of pesticides as it published a report blaming powerful landowners for the poisoning of rural residents. ... more |
![]() Environmental changes in the Mekong Delta spell trouble for farmers
Dying groundskeeper links Monsanto's Roundup to cancerSan Francisco (AFP) July 24, 2018 A California groundskeeper dying of cancer said Monday he would "never" have used Monsanto weed killer Roundup, had he known it could lead to his terminal illness. ... more |
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Cameroon's anglophone crisis hits palm oil, cocoa productionLibreville (AFP) July 18, 2018 The crisis in anglophone Cameroon is damaging the Southwest Region's economy, with palm oil plantations closing and the cocoa trade tumbling, an NGO report said Wednesday. ... more
Taiwan steps in after China turns off tourist taps to PalauTaipei (AFP) July 19, 2018 Taiwan has stepped in to help its ally Palau attract more tourists after an airline from the Micronesian nation said it was forced to shut under pressure from China. ... more
Using 'shade balls' in reservoirs may use up more water than they saveLondon, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 Preventing reservoir evaporation during droughts with floating balls may not help conserve water overall, due to the water needed to make the balls. During droughts, communities may rely on wa ... more
Researchers engineer bacteria to create fertilizer out of thin airSaint Louis MO (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 In the future, plants will be able to create their own fertilizer. Farmers will no longer need to buy and spread fertilizer for their crops, and increased food production will benefit billions of pe ... more
European heatwave brings drought, wildfiresLondon (AFP) July 20, 2018 Wildfires in the Arctic Circle, drought-stricken farmers and a spike in hospital treatment for sunburn: an unusually long heatwave this summer has northern Europe in its grip. ... more |
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Satellite tracking reveals Philippine waters are important for endangered whale sharks Washington DC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
A new scientific study published in PeerJ - the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences has tracked juvenile whale sharks across the Philippines emphasising the importance of the archipelago for the species. The study is the most complete tracking study of whale sharks in the country, with satellite tags deployed on different individuals in multiple sites.
The Philippines is an importan ... more |
China launches new twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites Xichang, China (XNA) Jul 31, 2018
China on Sunday sent twin satellites into space via a single carrier rocket, entering a period with unprecedentedly intensive launches of BeiDou satellites.
The Long March-3B carrier rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 9:48 a.m., the 281st mission of the Long March rocket series.
The twin satellites are the 33rd and 34th of ... more |
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Tropical forests may soon hinder, not help, climate change effort Edinburgh UK (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Forests in tropical regions could soon become a source of greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming rather than helping to counteract it, according to research.
Loss of trees to agriculture or livestock in tropical regions and the impact of climate change is limiting the forests' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a study shows.
This could make it impossible to meet the main go ... more |
Team shatters theoretical limit on bio-hydrogen production Lincoln NB (SPX) Jul 27, 2018
In 1977, researcher Rudolf Thauer proposed a theoretical ceiling on the amount of hydrogen that bacteria could produce via fermentation, the sugar-converting process also responsible for yogurt, beer and cheese.
Propelled by a genetic engineering technique that presents bacteria with a simple choice - adapt or die - research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln just punched through that ... more |
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New two-dimensional material could revolutionize solar fuel generation Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Following the isolation of graphene in 2004, a race began to synthesize new two-dimensional materials. 2D materials are single-layer substances with a thickness of between one atom and a few nanometers (billionths of a meter). They have unique properties linked to their reduced dimensionality and play a key role in the development of nanotechnology and nanoengineering.
An international gro ... more |
Searching for wind for the future Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Using outputs from a high-resolution regional climate model, KAUST researchers have confirmed the potential for wind as a significant energy resource across the Arabian Peninsula. This is an important first step in developing a strategy for Saudi Arabia's wind energy sector.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Marc Genton's research g ... more |
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Mapping mountaintop coal mining's yearly spread in Appalachia Durham NC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
The coal industry may have declined in the last decade because of the rise of cheap natural gas, but a coal mining method called mountaintop removal is still taking place, particularly in central Appalachia.
A new web-based mapping tool shows, in more detail than ever before, the land laid bare by mountaintop coal mining in central Appalachia each year, going back more than three decades. ... more |
Historic Chinese town resists eviction for theme park Chikan, China (AFP) July 25, 2018 A year ago, customers queued round the block for Wu Ying's red bean and coconut ice puddings, but now the 60-year-old has to vault a barricade to reach her dessert shop.
Wu is one of several dozen inhabitants of a historic section of the town of Chikan in southern China who are stubbornly holding out against government pressure to sell their properties to make way for a "heritage" theme park ... more |
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US Army selects Lockheed Martin as integrated systems developer for autonomous convoy program Dallas TX (SPX) Jul 31, 2018
Lockheed Martin was selected by the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) as the Integrated Systems Developer for its Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) program.
In this role, Lockheed Martin will lead a three-year effort to develop, integrate and test unmanned prototype systems for supporting leader/follower convoy activities within an asymmetric ... more |
Hamburg Ironman swimmers sunk by algae Berlin (AFP) July 27, 2018 Organisers have been forced to scrap the swimming leg of the Hamburg Ironman this Sunday due to high levels of algae in the city's Alster river caused by the current heatwave.
The condition of the water has been deemed "potentially harmful to health", so the swimming has been replaced by a six-kilometre (3.7mile) run.
"In order to protect all athletes, there will be a 6km run instead of ... more |
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Greek PM Tsipras visits scene of wildfire disaster Athens (AFP) July 30, 2018 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday paid his first visit to the area ravaged by the country's worst ever wildfires, as anger mounts over his government's response to the disaster which claimed scores of lives.
His trip, a week after the fires broke out, was not announced beforehand in what local media said was a bid to avoid protests by residents of the hard-hit seaside communities ... more |
The last wild ocean Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
The ocean, long a source of inspiration for exploration and discovery as well as a place to test the limits of humans, is no longer the wild frontier it once was. An international study published in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that only 13 percent of the ocean can still be classified as wilderness.
"The idea of wilderness is powerful for people, as well as for nature," said UC ... more |
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Portugal prepares for fire intervention as heatwave approaches Lisbon (AFP) July 30, 2018
Portugal said Monday it has mobilised more than 10,000 people and boosted control operations in fire-prone areas of the country ahead of a major heatwave to avoid a repeat of last year's deadly wildfires.
"This year, we have in place the biggest plan ever: 10,700 men and women around the country," including "voluntary firefighters, police and soldiers," Interior Minister Eduardo Cabrita told ... more |
UK's chief diplomat begins Brexit bargaining tour London (AFP) July 29, 2018 Britain's new foreign minister begins his first major international trip with a visit to China on Monday, bidding to strengthen trade ties with Beijing ahead of Brexit next year.
"The UK and China are both major powers with a global perspective", said foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in a statement issued ahead of the visit.
"As the UK leaves the EU and becomes ever-more outward-looking, we ... more |
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NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the curious case of the hot corona Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Something mysterious is going on at the Sun. In defiance of all logic, its atmosphere gets much, much hotter the farther it stretches from the Sun's blazing surface.
Temperatures in the corona - the tenuous, outermost layer of the solar atmosphere - spike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the underlying surface simmers at a balmy 10,000 F. How the Sun m ... more |
Bacteria extinctions are quite common, study shows Washington (UPI) Jul 30, 2018
Until now, many scientists thought microbes rarely go extinct. But new research suggests bacteria species disappear at surprisingly high rates.
According to the latest analysis, when bacteria do go extinct, they fade away. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, showed bacteria are rarely snuffed out by mass extinction events.
Scientists used adva ... more |
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